Page 66 of Mayhem
Paetyn set up both ground easels, and they sat behind them while Erin placed the basket between them. They were doing a watercolor painting by number, and she was excited about her chosen picture. When she handed Paetyn his, he smiled at her. She'd chosenCafé Van Goghbecause she knew he was planning to open a bistro.
Once they had everything unpacked and set up, they started on their paintings, working silently for several long minutes and enjoying each other's company.
"Did you take a picture of your logo?" Paetyn asked after a few minutes.
"I didn't. I want you to see it when the sign is done and on the building."
"But you're happy with it?"
"I am. It turned out extremely well. I hope it translates when it's brought to life," Erin responded.
"When are your appointments? I know you said they were this coming week."
"They're on Tuesday. I was able to schedule them all on the same day so that I could do all the running around then."
Erin looked over to see where he was in his painting but got distracted by his hands. It wasn't the first time she'd found herself staring at either of their fingers, and she didn't know when she'd become attracted to a man's hands, but it'd happened. She was sure it was just her being attracted to her men's hands.
"Have you chosen an opening date?"
Erin turned her attention back to her painting. "I'm aiming for mid-July. It gives me time to have the sign made, which, depending on the company I go with, shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks, and bring on a couple of other artists and maybe hire a receptionist, but that can be further down the line. I'm not opposed to opening with myself as the only artist to start, though."
"That gives you a month, so it's a workable timeframe."
"I want to do some sort of opening event and maybe offer a discount to the first ten people that book appointments."
She'd been thinking about it for a bit and decided that it was something she could advertise on social media. She would get Chayse and Alijah to come since every tattoo Alijah had was one she'd done, and she also did eighty percent of the ones Chayse had. She would also put every tattoo she'd ever done in an album on her tablet and let them flip through it to see her different styles.
Erin was a dynamic artist. She could do just about any style, which would come out phenomenal, but she specialized in blackwork, realism, and aesthetics, followed closely by Japanese and anime.
"I think you should do it, baby."
Erin dipped her brush in the jars of water they were given before getting some red on it and working on another section of the painting.
"Were you able to choose enough desserts to add to the menus?"
"I was, but I've made a mental note to do it sooner next time."
They continued to paint as they talked, Erin asking Paetyn if he'd thought of names for the bistro yet and if he was still waiting to hear back from the bid he'd put in. He asked her if she, the other women, and Lawrence had decided where they wanted to go for their planned trip.
When they finished their paintings, they packed up all the materials and moved the easels to the side to let them dry. Paetyn wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to sit between his legs. Erin had never thought she would enjoy being manhandled, but Chayse had a point when she said there was something about a man that could make you effortlessly portable.
She leaned back against his chest and played with the fingers on his right hand as she watched others at the park throw a frisbee back and forth or kick a hackie sack around.
His phone began to ring, and Erin leaned forward so he could get to it, but he pulled her back to him, and she wasn't used to someone she was dating giving her this sort of attention. It made her realize that they hardly ever looked at their phones when they were with her.
A minute later, her phone began to ring, and she pulled it from her crossbody to silence it or answer it if maybe it was Cruzand he’d been trying to reach Paetyn for some reason. That same number that had been calling flashed across the screen, and she hesitated briefly before sending them to voicemail.
“Is everything okay, baby?” he asked, and she looked over her shoulder at him.
“Yeah. It’s…this number has been calling me, and most of the time when I answer, they don’t say anything. I think they’ve been trying to make an appointment, but the reception is bad.”
“Do you recall giving your number to someone so they could?”
“Chayse asked if she could give it to some of her co-workers, and I did give it to a few people at the convention in Sante Fe,” Erin responded.
She was sure if it were one of Chayse’s co-workers and they were having issues they would tell her friend, and she could get with Erin to set something up on their behalf. She knew it wasn’t a Denver area code, at least not one she’d seen, and thought it was likely someone from the convention.
“I’m sure they’ll text you or come in when you open if they’ve heard about it. If not, it’s their loss.” Erin nodded, turning back around.
